


Homo Hill

by FacelessVoice



Category: GOT7, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Angst, Fluff, I'm sorry for this mess, M/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Please Don't Kill Me, SUFFER WITH ME, Skinship, Witch AU, Yoongi Is Bad at Feelings, dun dun dun, i didn't mean to turn this into angst, it just turned out that way, it's called homo hill for a reason, so much angst this wasn't what i wanted, somewhat connected to wings, this is my first fic im really sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-14
Updated: 2016-11-24
Packaged: 2018-08-15 00:04:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8034223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FacelessVoice/pseuds/FacelessVoice
Summary: Suga makes ghosts go away for a living so it's no surprise someone comes to him for help using the alias V. What is surprising is the rare spirit attached to him and the mystery behind the sudden job.Where Yoongi is a traditional Korean witch forced to move to Itaewon and runs into the gang ft. got7





	1. Manyeo Yoongi

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so first off thanks for coming this far and not being scared off <3 I'd like to apologize for the unbeta'd mess up ahead, please enjoy my struggle :D

_ Gwishin _ are easy enough to handle. Suga, as he’s professionally known in the  _ Manyeo  _ world, has exercised plenty of them in Daegu. But this weird V kid has got one gloomy  _ Mool-gwishin _ attached to him. It floats nearby V transparent to Suga, dripping water that never hits the concrete. The blonde ghost just sadly looks into V’s big eyes as though hoping he could see him, occasionally circling the tall brunette. The ghosts eye bags are gucci status compared to Yoongi’s.

Min Yoongi never gives his real name to clients, but at least Suga sounds convincing enough to not give it away. V didn’t even sound like his real name when he stuttered it out and his  _ satoori  _ ensures he’s a native so he’s not a foreigner. 

Yoongi doesn’t bat an eye at most clients and the pissed off  _ gwishin _ or spirits following them. In this day and age it’s rare that someone has a  **sad** ghost with a normal appearance. They’re usually just body parts, black shadows, or clouds. Maybe dressed in a  _ Hanbok  _ or with twisted faces. 

Sadness is usually not a strong enough emotion that spirits refuse being reborn. The promise of starting another life usually convinces  **most** to pass on quickly, and those don’t look so… Normal. This is the strangest case he’s ever encountered and this V kid makes him suspicious. 

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you  _ hyung _ ! You know how to help! You can see Mark right?” At this the ghost side-eyes him in jaded alarm, seemingly aware of Yoongi’s prying eyes, but too lifeless to actually panic. Although prying would infer he’s interested, he’s not. V talks to him as though they’re old friends even though they literally just bumped into each other.

Even before finally understanding he was a  _ manyeo _ in the 3rd grade, Yoongi volunteered to be the class president. It would look good for his future and his parents would be proud. It made Yoongi force smiles like he enforced rules leaving him by himself as that too pale tryhard. After 13 years he could give a rats ass, Yoongi’s a grown ass 23 year old, but some things stick with us. Shaking off V’s friendliness he goes back into business mode.

“The average fee is 22,000 Won every hour I spend to get rid of him. He might take two.”

V snickers ominously and hands him a piece of paper. No a check. HOLY SHIT can not even begin to describe it. 10,560,000 Won! Yoongi’s never seen so much money at once! Was this brat a  _ chaebol _ or something?! He’s like 12!

“It’s for the month, I already know how many hours it takes you. I might owe you more though i’m not too sure yet. Oh yeah you’re gonna want the one in  _ Itaewon _ before Tuesday Yoongi hyung,  _ Annyeong _ !”

A wink and he’s gone. That little punk knew his name, the check even had everything filled out. What the hell! Who was this kid? He didn’t even leave a number that cheeky bastard.

Yoongi can only shake his head and continue on his way home, the small paper burning a hole in his pocket. 

      Home’s a tiny apartment that’s pretty shitty except for his “office” which is totally not his living room. Even though Yoongi is at the age to be going to college, he never got around to it. What would he do without his powers? At some point Yoongi spent so long honing them he never thought about what he would do without them. His grandma always told him he had a destiny in it. Plus seeing corpses reaching out to you or moving your shit makes you wanna know how to get rid of them.

So he diligently uses his sight for ghosts to force spirits to leave. Not the nicest way to put it but they’re dead, and haunting the living is only an inconvenience on Yoongi’s customers. Although most of them did have a hand in pissing off said inconvenience. 

Point is it’s not Yoongi’s job to care. It’s his job to light candles and use the old magic in objects around him, from the trees to the rocks, and nudge the spirit on. That’s what makes Yoongi’s blood run, feeling the energy flow from fingertip to fingertip and swirl around his heart. Like the earth and every living thing is affirming, yes you’re alive. 

There are only so many witches in Korea and most of them are in  _ Seoul _ , so it works out for Yoongi to be in  _ Daegu _ . Most of his clients come to him more out of location than experience. His meetings are private and done in his living room or surrounded by nature if it’s an especially angry  _ gwishin _ . Unless he’s cleansing a house, he’s generally home. His advertising is done completely online, no one knows what he looks like until their appointment. Even then he’s hiding under a facemask or large hoodie. As far as the Korean government is concerned he’s a legitimate business.

It’s on his way past the front desk that he’s stopped by his landlord. He’s one of the few people Yoongi is polite to. He’s a nice older man who gives Yoongi extensions when it’s slow in the spirit world. 

“Ah Yoongi. How are you? Listen, you’re my favorite  _ dongsaeng _ in the complex so I thought i’d tell you first, but i’m selling the building.”

Yoongi stills, “Eh? But  _ ahjussi _ , haven’t you owned this building for years?”

He sighs and places his hands on Yoongi’s shoulders in a fatherly manner. “I have. I’m sad to see it go but i’m too old to be running such a large building on my own and i’m at the age of retirement. Me and my wife are planning to visit abroad for the first time. Maybe come back and settle down, play some  _ Yut _ .”

Yoongi nods his head in understanding and bids him farewell, he hears the rest directed at his back, “You have until next week Yoongi, i’m sorry!” V’s check burns hotter in his pocket and echoes in his head,  _ the one in Itaewon _ . It’s so ominous there’s no fucking way he’s going to listen to V…

Yoongi shakes his head and unlocks his apartment. Inside he sets jasmine tea to boil and opens his laptop. It’s nothing fancy, just enough for him to run a business and occasionally watch videos. Sometimes he listens to rappers and feels his heart race like there’s some special meaning there and his hand twitches like when he starts an exorcism. He always shrugs it off and dedicates himself to the spirit world. One day, in another world, at another time he might.

His apartment is set up with wards, shrines, and  _ ppalgan jong-i _ to keep spirits at bay. He’s mostly made peace with their existence, but being grabbed by the ankles at 3am is a bit excessive. Also being pulled into his closet by force then being locked in it for hours is too.  _ Gwishin  _ are drama queens and he needs a safe space in the world. 

He’s not very attractive to them either, only a chunk can tell he sees them and decide to fuck with him. If you were locked in place full of people who couldn’t see you, you’d wanna harass the ones that make eye contact with you too. His grandma said something about it being that way because he could see them since birth. She also said there’s rumors about how to see the dead but nothing he could ever prove. 

Anyway, there’s nothing saying V is right. It’s actually mighty suspicious a young  _ chaebol _ told him to move to  _ Itaewon _ before the owner told anyone else about the building. More suspicious than the hand the reaches out for him from the wall everyday out in the hallway. Or the gurgled mumbles of the girl on the 3rd floor stairway, bloody, with her body stuck at odd angles.

His parent’s might be disappointed in his career choice but they didn’t raise an idiot. Something isn’t right with that V kid that he can’t see. The only thing keeping Yoongi from completely ignoring the kid is the check now sitting on the coffee table next to his tea. He stares at it agitatedly, like he can hear V laughing in the distance. The rich fight dirty.

He searches for open spaces and apartments. Everything is so pricey even with V’s check. Either that or too close to competition.There’s no way he can afford to have both. The smart answer would be to just get an apartment, but the closer to the city you get the more visibility you need. Yoongi may not like it but the internet by itself won’t cut it. He’s going to need something…

Getting up to refill the burning tea in his mug does nothing to stop V’s words from looping.  _ Itaewon _ ,  _ Itaewon, Itaewon. _ Just one search and when he’s wrong V’s voice will leave Yoongi’s thoughts. That’s it, the only reason.

He searches  _ Naver  _ for a living and business space in  _ Itaewon _ . The screen loads for a few seconds and finds only one match, an old ice cream shop with a private space on the second floor. Not only was the price in Yoongi’s range but it’s location as well, close enough to  _ Seoul  _ for more customers but far away enough to stand alone. Fuck.

He’s actually listening to V, why does he feel like he’s taking this lighter than he should. He should tremble like when he notices a ghostly skinwalker in broad daylight. He tells ghosts to fuck off for a living he shouldn’t be so reckless. Maybe it’s because something about this excites him somewhere his heart used to be. How convenient a  _ chaebol  _ knows he needs a new place and gives him money in advance. 

Yoongi remembers his tea and tries to inhale the earthy tones and think. Beggars can’t be choosers. If the idiot overpaid him then that’s his fault. This is something he wouldn’t have done on his own without such an open opportunity. He should probably be grateful. 

Then again if the check bounces all of Yoongi’s plans are fucked. Just when he’s getting over that thought his phone vibrates. Who the fuck? His parents only call on weekends and the only client he’s had recently is that V kid. Yoongi did NOT give him his number. The  _ ppalgan jong-i _ are probably fading. That or it’s a sales rep, nothing scarier than being sold cable. Sitting and setting down his mug he pulls out his phone. His eyes widen as he reads the text. 

 

Unknown Number:

_ The check won’t bounce ;p V _

 

Seriously what the fuck? He takes back what he said earlier. Who is this little asshole? How dare he drop into Yoongi’s life and direct him like a puppet. His parents already did that until enough was enough and now he’s gotta take it from some stranger? The only person who ever cared what he wanted was his grandmother and she’s not here anymore. 

No, Yoongi belongs to no one. He doesn't keep ties so that he can't be pulled on a string. This fucking sucks, the dead try to kill him, the living piss him off. Honestly what the fuck.

 

You:

_ Fck off _

 

Eloquent? No, but at least he had the manners to reply. How could Yoongi sell himself out for higher stakes when he’s fine as he is? His routine is set and life was a bit shaky, if not stable. But a gray area, Yoongi wasn't living, really  **living** . Even though this was his chance to change, he of all people should know change comes with a price. 


	2. Awake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Namjoon has Jin weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to personally apologize for what i've done to Jin as a character and the ooc-ness

He’s owned the store for a little over a year and even though he’s crawling in debt and eating half his merchandise, he’s doing pretty good. Kim Seokjin estimates 4 years of repaying loans if he’s frugal but he’s still young. Jin, as his friends call him, is only just 23 and not an _ahjussi_ like that damn red headed punk Jimin keeps telling him he is.

He’s also not the block’s resident _eomma_. That would just fuel Taehyung’s delusions that Jin and Namjoon are the old married couple of the block. They aren’t even dating, and the smug look Taehyung sends him anytime they’re near each other only serves to make Jin count to ten and hope that boy is running.

There’s no way Namjoon would be into Jin, that’d be like a cute, deep voiced angel falling for a human that’s a 6 on a good day. No wait Jin is a solid 8 but the point stands, Kim Namjoon is too perfect. Jin’s just reading into every sweet dimpled smile and light chuckle he manages to get out of him. Joon likes him as person, a trusted friend more than anything else. Taehyung keeps giving him hope and Jin’s always torn between thanking or strangling him for the resulting conflicted feelings.

Anyways the real mom of the block has to be the happy vitamin he hired to help run the shop part time, Hoseok. He works the morning shift until he goes to uni but he’s such a saint. Jin almost cried tears of relief when Hoseok noticed him struggling and said he could lend him a hand. He was a Psychology major too so he didn’t even know plants at the time, like? Such a sweetheart. Jin always feels indebted to him.

Together they finished up all the paperwork and Hoseok even gave him the idea to name the shop “Rose of Jin” since he is technically a florist. In the end Jin kept him and makes sure he always has whatever he needs for his classes.

The main reason Hoseok is his favorite _dongsaeng_ is because sometimes elderly folk who need fresh tea leaves phone in and he speeds off in his moped to deliver and help them around the house before returning back to the shop. He’s honestly too precious. He once told Jin that if Namjoon didn’t like him he would have hexed him a long time ago. If Jin ever had kids he wishes they’d grow up like Hobbie did.

On official papers Jin runs a flower shop. Most other customers just purchase flowers and bouquets for normal reasons, it’s genuine. Unofficially he supplies Manyeo’s with herbs and makes healing tea. It’s an old tradition passed down to him and even though he could be anything, raising plants and sipping tea when he isn’t running around like a headless chicken is pretty worth it.

He also gets to talk to Joonnie, the cute tattoo artist across the street who hexes anyone on his list for the right price like some delinquent. If Jin didn’t know any better he’d say he was intimidating but he’s seen the man almost cry over breaking his Ryan phone case (Jin bought him a new one). Or lecturing wisdom to the local kids like some kind of grandpa. It’s even cuter when the kids pretend they’re listening and Joon just lights up.

Namjoon breaks things easily on top of being a cute dork. If people knew him personally before learning what he did for a living they might laugh or think he’s lying. You can’t understand until you see him steady his hands and hold the needle like it weighs nothing. Even though Jin nearly dropped it the first time he held it and didn’t expect it to be so goddamn heavy. Joon made it look so easy as his face showed concentration wrinkles, and a tough leader persona peeked out.

On his longer works Jin knows he’s tired because he can see Joon’s tongue sticking out from across the street to showcase his dimples. If he’s not too busy Jin brews Rose tea and sends Hoseok over to remind him to take breaks more often. It’s not the first time Taehyung’s walked into Jin’s store to find him hiding behind a plant to see Namjoon’s reaction.

He can’t help it okay? He’s deprived of his usual chance to meet him outside of work since the ice cream shop next door closed recently. He can’t just walk over without a reason either, that’s too much. Jin just wants to pretend he has a chance. Taehyung pointedly shakes his head at Jin with enough force to mess up his chocolate hair.

“You could just talk to him _hyung_. It won’t kill you, trust me i’d warn you if it would.”

Once he’s sure Namjoon is sipping at the tea Jin can sit behind the counter in peace. Hoseok is probably talking to Joonnie, he doesn’t need psychic powers to know that. His brooding accidentally makes some nearby Acacia flowers droop and Taehyung to chuckle.

“Why don’t you go bother Jimin or something. Be a good son and let _eomma_ suffer in silence.” He throws over his shoulder while trying to magick life back into the flowers.

“So you admit to-”

“I’ve admitted nothing! Please not today Tae.”

Normally Jin just brushes everything off but Namjoon not coming to talk to him in any voluntary way makes him anxious. How can he stop feeling on edge when the guy he likes is so out of his league and unaware of him? Ugh, and he yells at Jiminnie for his low self esteem. Mom of the year award goes to Seokjin for best example! He’s a 23 year old male, he should be a _hyung_ or _oppa_ not **mom**.

Jin is still internally monologuing when Taehyung freezes at the window and runs up Jin’s stairs to his private space, “Going bathroom hyung!”

“Ya! My shop is not a public restroom Kim Taehyung!”

But he’s gone and now Jin has to go see what scared him off. He steps away from the flowers (he’ll fix those later) and heads over to the window. There’s a mint haired man about Jin’s age unlocking the closed up ice cream shop. He’d be concerned over it if he didn't see the set of keys. If he turns out to own some kind of food shop then Jin can see Joon around again!

Everyone in the block eats from Kim-Kimchi’s but at some point it’s tiring. Taehyung’s parents run the Daegu inspired restaurant and chains, so he runs off anytime he gets the chance. Tae is probably just avoiding a rush hour. Jins gonna yell at him after meeting the new neighbour.

Casting back one last look at where Taehyung ran off to, Jin grabs some yellow roses. He’d have to welcome him to the neighborhood anyways, now is as good as ever. Jin checks for any incoming customers before stepping out, Tae’s just going to have to look after the shop for treating it like an outhouse.

The man? Young man? Now he just sounds old. He’s still unaware of Jin quietly approaching. His face is twisted in annoyance trying to figure out which key opens what. He looks as unapproachable as Joonie when he’s working.

“ _Annyeonghaseyo_! I’m Seokjin, 23, and I live next door but you can call me Jin. Here, these are from my shop to welcome you, are you the new owner?”

Jin hands over the flowers to the honestly surprised man. He looks so pale but that might have just been Jin scaring him. He nods.

“Please take care of me, i’m Suga.”

Suga bows and awkwardly holds the bouquet to his chest. There’s a moment of silence where Jin’s waiting for him to say his age just to know how respectful to speak but is offered nothing.

“I just got the shop on a recommendation yesterday and I wanted to see what I had to work with today, you didn’t have to bring flowers.”

He’s awkwardly shifting foot to foot and avoiding eye contact. Oh Jin’s keeping him too. He’s like a little kid who was told to play nice.

“I don’t mind, I have more than I know what to do with. So what kind of shop are you setting up?”

Jin is lightly laughing but shit he should have kept his mouth shut! Too straightforward! God, he really is Jimin’s mother. It’s too late to take it back oh dear. Suga looks hesitant for a second before shrugging and turning back to unlock the store.

“A _Manyeo_ shop, mostly just exorcisms.”

He says it quietly enough for Jin to understand he’s waiting for a bad response from him. Oh this poor kid, he probably spent everything to try to do something he knew people wouldn’t like. And now he’s here waiting for his fears to come true. Jin realises he’s been quiet a beat too long. Shit.

“Do you need any Mulberry leaves or Chrysanthemums? I have a lot of different tea leaves for different ceremonies so you can stop by anytime if you need them. Or daisy’s, they’re overrunning the place.”

Suga finally unlocks the door and turns to smile, really smile at Jin.

“Thanks _Seokjin-ssi_ , I’ll see you around and let you know.”

If Jin wasn’t already in so deep with Namjoon, Suga would have swooped him off his feet. ****


	3. Yoongi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 is going to go well

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! For those of you who have been following this story, i've edited the previous chapters a bit /.\ sorry they were really bothering me and chapter 1 still feels iffy but i've also added and omitted things to have the plot fit together better. I've written ahead chapters so that this can be finished by Halloween but who knows, college is a thing :/ 
> 
> Also, yes everyone somewhat falls in love with Yoongi. Listen, look me in the eye and tell me he didn't tempt you to change bias' once. I thought so

It’s day 2 with the shop and Yoongi’s already met one of his neighbors. The meeting went so much better than he thought, he got flowers from the tall, pretty blonde and an open invitation for tea. He expected to be called a _shaman_ or crazy, both are bad. It occurred to him mid conversation that he’d have to explain what he would be doing for a living right next door. He couldn’t hide behind anonymity and indifferent parties like he used to, which sucks ass. But it went well so maybe this wasn’t a mistake.

The inside of the building has abandoned chairs strewn about, stains where the removed ice cream counter was, and empty boxes in the storage room. There’s a sweet and sugary smell he knows isn’t gonna go away anytime soon. It’d take a bit of cleaning but Yoongi can already see where he can set up a shrine and an exorcism table. Hell, he could even get a desk to be professional and shit.

That reminds him he has to get decals for the front window. The four walled room means he has to bring talismans and hang new _ppalgan jong-i_ around too. Fuck this is a lot of work. Ugh, he can’t just nap the day away, he’s got to work hours out. This sucks.

He shouldn’t be complaining about the opportunity he’s been given. Plenty of _manyeo_ have a hard time out in the countryside and the heart of _Seoul_. This has to work. He should check the rest of the place out. Why does he have to have the ambition of his mother but motivation of his father?

It’s passing by the restroom on the first floor he notices it. There’s a door that leads to a backyard? He’s pretty sure there wasn’t enough room for one but he opens the white door anyway. A cherry wood deck extends a few feet to turn into a zen garden with pure white sand and a lazuli pond. When Yoongi walks over to to peer inside it’s more like a well with no end.

The hairs on the back of his neck raise and he shudders. Something was watching him. He checks over his shoulders and even catches a glimpse of Jin’s backyard overgrown with plant life. Just because he couldn’t see whatever it was didn’t mean it wasn’t there. There have been plenty of _gwishin_ that caught him off guard. Specifically female _gwishin_ , they have a habit of being heard more than seen. He’s gonna have to put those _ppalgan jong-i_ up quicker than he thought.

He takes one last look at the garden before closing the door. Yoongi is turning around when he see’s a face pressed against the glass front door.

His heart stops for a second before he realises they’re human therefore alive, at least he thinks so. A maybe human with a long face and black hair making faces pressed up on his glass door. The guy’s making the most stupid faces Yoongi’s ever seen in his entire life.

He walks over and opens the door to the guy almost falling face first on the floor. Just like that he’s back up and shaking Yoongi’s hand. His smile is so bright Yoongi almost squints against it. He is super cute though, like a puppy or something. Shit, pay attention to what he’s saying.

“-Jung Hoseok! Jin sent me to say hi and help you~! He came back pretty pink so I wasn’t sure but you’re not too bad. You’re kinda on the red side but that could be good, just smile more~!”

Yoongi doesn’t even know how to describe him, he’s too much, please chill. He definitely reminds him of a dog, he’s only missing the floppy ears to match his smile and parted hair. Focus!

“Suga, uh, you don’t have to. Jin’s done enough for me already.” He says this but he’d rather not be honor-bound so early on.

Hoseok just smiles wider, “I came here cause I wanted to~, you’re new and need help. You’ll get done faster if you have help right? You can repay us by buying us Kim-Kimchi’s later~.”

He winks at Yoongi and laughs with his whole body. This neighborhood is full life and people who aren’t dead inside, not many of those in _Daegu_ . Ah! That’s why he keeps wanting to laugh, Hoseok’s _satoor_ i is from _Gwangju_.

He can’t help the giggle that comes out when Hoseok extends his vowels pleading to Suga that he’ll be good just let him help! Yoongi nods and closes the door. He’s so extra. Suga’s telling him how he wants things and where they’re going to move everything in when the moving truck comes by. Despite how hyped and sunshiney Hoseok is he’s a pretty diligent worker. Don’t get him wrong he was still fucking around, but the place looks less abandoned and it was actually fun.

They’re moving the last piece of furniture in 4 hours later in the sunset and watching the moving truck speed off. The warm light filtering through Hoseok’s hair is angelic and the sweat droplets refracting light in the dingy shop make him ethereal. Suga’s not in a liminal space is he? Hoseok catches him staring and smiles.

“Oh~ you’re not falling for me are you? Oh nevermind, you’re back, shoot! Your colors flicker more than you show, you should work on that.”

“I’m wearing black where do you keep getting these colors from?”

His face turns onto the most accurate representation of the 0o0 emoji before settling back to his regular happy expression. “I can see what people feel through colors.”

He’s smiling and looking at Yoongi gently. How could he say it so pleasantly, like he’s talking about a stroll? It took everything in Yoongi just to tell Jin he was a _manyeo_ without changing his tone or face. There was too much history behind being who he was compared to Hoseok, as far as he could tell anyway.

Yoongi walks over to his couch off in the corner and settles for watching the sunset away from the shop’s window. He pats the empty space beside him and Hoseok does a running jump onto the old couch further nudging it into the wall.

“I don’t want your whole life story, but I kinda want to know about the color thing.”

Hoseok hums and spreads his legs across Yoongi’s lap cuddling into the couch. His face twists into contemplation and he cups his chin until he finds what he’s looking for and looks back at Yoongi.

“It was when I was about 13. My friends, different ones from now, thought it’d be a great idea to check out this abandoned shrine. There were a lot popping up in Gwangju so it wasn’t really a big deal.

Anyway, we went during sunset and it was pretty fun! But then when we went in this room… I still don’t know what it was used for but everyone else was behind, following me. When I turned around, the door was closed and my friends couldn’t reach me.”

Hoseok had a glassy look in his eyes as he shivered. Yoongi pat his thigh with one hand and rubbed circles in his ankles with the other. Comfort through words was meaningless and he didn’t really know how to do it. Hoseok seems like a touchy person anyway.

He breathes in deeply and continues on, “I guess I passed out. About 3 hours later I woke up in the dark and my friends finally broke through the door. I couldn’t “see” out of my left eye anymore and it really hurt. Sometimes it still randomly hurts.”

Yoongi’s grandma never said much on auras, he’s pretty sure it’s something you’re born with. Everyone he’s encountered since meeting V have been really different. He should write in her journal about this.

“How do you… uh see? Like what would you compare it to?”

Hoseok snuggles closer to Yoongi, to where he can feel the vibrations of him humming thoughtfully.

“Like when you switch the colors on the screen to show the opposite.”

“You mean invert?”

“Yeah! That! If the person is normal then the colors look like smoke. Bad auras are cloudy. People are normally a rainbow with the main color they’re feeling showing more. My right eye is fine though, perfect vision and everything.”

His story sound familiar, definitely something his grandmother’s written. Shit, what box did he put it in? Probably one of the ones in his room. He gently moves Hoseok’s legs off and motions for him to wait.

He’s rummaging around trying to find the old worn out journal in the fading sunlight when he feels it again. The same staring sensation from earlier. He tries to catch a glimpse of it hiding among the boxes in his room quickly before it got any ideas. Fuck! He should’ve put the wards up before sunset, now he’s gonna have to deal with that nerve wracking feeling all night.

Gwishin are least likely to attack if there’s more people and light. Hoseok! He’s about to call out when a box tips over and spills out everything inside. He should’ve been able to see whatever it was! What spirit is powerful enough to conceal itself? A _Kumiho_ probably, he bitterly thinks. This is probably how he's gonna die.

He actually looks at what spilled out onto the ground and spots the soft red leather of his grandma’s journal. That's convenient. Don’t be a wuss Yoongi! Just take it and get back to Hoseok. Why does he have to deal with this shit all the time? Take the journal and give power to whatever’s hanging around, or return to Hoseok without any answers.

Hoseok didn’t ask for answers, but if Yoongi wanted to know how to get rid of his sight he knew he’d want answers too. Ah fuck it! This is why he doesn’t make friends!

**J-Hope**

Downstairs Hoseok hears Suga moving around and looking around for something as he waits on the couch. He’s nervous he’s scared someone off again, like his old friends shortly after they found him. They were just scared, he knows that now, he can't blame them. He can tell by Suga’s aura that he’s a good person but shades were tricky and his face was so passive. He shouldn’t have started off with that story! His face was just so cute he wanted to share a piece of himself. His smile's, as brief as they were, were addictive.

A loud thump passes overhead and Hoseok is kinda concerned. Nothing happened to Suga right? There’s a few seconds of silence before he hears Suga scream.

Hoseok’s off the couch and sprinting up the stairs in a heartbeat. He’s narrowly avoiding ramming the walls at every turn before he finds Suga in the dark, in a room of boxes on the floor. There’s a mess from a fallen box and Sugacurled up in it. He was twitching and thrashing against something invisible. What should he do?!

“Suga!!”

“Light! The Light Hoseok!!”

He runs to the switch and Suga immediately stops squirming. In the light Hoseok can see the book he was holding and something pink on his right arm. What the?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't write Hoseok for shit, i'm sorry T.T i tried so apologies to all the J-hope fans that were disappointed  
> On that note suspense ain't my forte, actually writing in general ain't but *shrug*  
> Let me know if any of you know a good beta or just yell at me and i'll try to fix it (rip)  
> ppalgan jong-i has no actual meaning, i just google translated "red paper" because i couldn't for the life of me remember what the white papers with red ink used in Asian exorcisms were called. Please bear with me, I actually try to use as much Korean lore to be as accurate as possible but some stuff just can't be googled. Gotta ask an old Halmoni that's seen some shit lmao


	4. Reaper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hate sneaku

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're all being spammed by me fixing shit im so sorry i didn't mean for that. i'm just extra proof reading when i spot something i missed and then im like okay that should be it, and then i find something else and i cant just leave it there what am i a heathen !

Something flies out from behind the box straight at Yoongi and he thought he was gonna die for a second. He screamed and fell back, honestly not his proudest moment. Twenty-Three years of actual jumpscares and this one truly froze his heart and chilled his veins. He couldn’t see what it was exactly in the dark but it wrapped around his arm cold and slimy. The more he tried to get it off the more it tightened its grip.

He was so lucky Hoseok showed up. In his panic he was totally useless. He’s glad his grandma passed on, otherwise she’d scold his carelessness until he joined her.

The light revealed a tiny, thin and long snake. Yoongi doesn’t know anything about snakes but the pale pink scales and their pattern… This wasn’t just any snake. Oh how his grandma would cry if she saw it.

“Wh-what iS THAT?!”

Oh yeah Hoseok. Well shit, how was he gonna explain this? They were both so scared they were both yelling in full _satoori_ at each other.

“IT’S NOT A SNAKE I CAN TELL YOU THAT!.”

It unwinds and rubs itself against Yoongi’s cheek. What the fuck weren’t these things supposed to be powerful and huge as fuck. Yoongi realizes he’s still sitting in the middle of a mess in his room as a very powerful creature nuzzles him. Yoongi continues, “Its an _Imugi_.”

Hoseok hides behind the doorway and tries to keep from jumping around in fear and  excitement.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN _IMUGI_?! THERE’S A SNAKE GIVING YOU KISSES!!”

Yoongi stands up and the Imugi slithers from his arm to hang like a scarf around his neck. It’s tongue occasionally flicking at his neck and somewhat startling Yoongi the first few times. He opens the book his grandmother gave to him before she passed away. Two birds with one stone.

“He’s basically a pre-dragon according to my grandma, but he should be huge and very lucky.” The well in the back was most likely his home. That water was probably connected to some river since _Imugi_ are water creatures by nature. Ancient water creatures don’t just live in any water.

His grandma’s tall, neat writing talked about the steps they go through to become dragons: 1000 years alive, aiding others, swimming, leap of faith. Standard fairy tale quests.

“They’re pretty benevolent, actually they usually avoid people.”

As if to prove him wrong it blinks its black eyes and tilts it head at Yoongi before tightening around his biceps. Why do these things have happen to him?

“Ya! Stop it! What are you doing you little weirdo?”

Hoseok hesitantly re-enters the room and starts laughing at Yoongi.

“It’s hugging you~ That’s so cute!”

Yoongi can only glare at Hoseok and try to wiggle free. He’s already lost enough pride screaming earlier. What did he do to deserve this? If this thing wasn’t avoiding humans it’s safe to say it wasn’t lucky. Wow, he find’s one of the rare wonders of the world and it’s useless. Of course.

“The reason I came in here was to find this notebook.”

Hoseok finally stops laughing at Yoongi and looks at him.

“What are you gonna name it anyway?”

“Are you just gonna ignore that I potentially risked my life to get this notebook for you?”

“Are you gonna ignore the thing kissing you?”

Yoongi sighs and tries to look for where his grandma mentioned it. He realizes he doesn’t want to be standing now that the leftover adrenaline is leaving his limbs shakey. Goddamn thing scared the shit out of him. Yoongi goes to move the boxes off his bed and throws himself into the sheets. The Imugi went to hog the pillow from him. He probably should wash the sheets more often now.

“I’ll name it whatever name I randomly flip to, happy?”

Rolling over, he gives Hoseok space to flop next to him and wedges his thumb somewhere in the book. Why does he have to name the thing? He doesn’t even know if it has a gender or anything.

The page is one of the bedtime stories his grandma used to read to him. As he rereads it he can hear her like he’s a child again. It’s the tragic tale of Princess _Barl_ , who did everything in her power to save her parents with the _Hwansaengkkot_ (flowers of life). She became the _Ogushin_ (reaper) that guides spirits in the underworld in exchange for the flowers.

It’s a sad story full of pain and sacrifice. He didn’t understand why his grandmother would tell him such a morbid story in retrospect. This explains a lot of things actually.

“Her name is Ogushin, do you want to know why you’re half blind now?”

“Did you just name this cotton candy snake reaper~? Hahaha! This is great!”

He’s laughing so hard and slapping his knee they both end up laughing at the absurdity of it all. This was so fucking ridiculous.

A while later they settle into a comfortable silence in the dark and Yoongi is drifting off slowly.

“Could you.. Could you fix my eye?”

Hoseok who is so expressive and bright, turneded soft and fragile. How much had Hoseok gone through because of his eye? This event that changed his life in a way he had no control over, much like Yoongi. The only difference is Yoongi will always be able to see them.

Yoongi blindly reaches for Hoseok’s sleeve and rests on his arm. He didn't mean to give him false hope. How assholish of him to have forced the idea onto Hoseok.

Another reason he hates people, they make him a liar. He has nothing solid to help Hoseok out, but his heart wants to tell him he can without hesitation.

“My grandma was a wise _halmoni._ If anyone knew anything, it was her.”

Why is he like this?

“Hey”

“Yea?”

“Can I spend the night?”

They’re in a fit of giggles again but much more tired than before. Yoongi would shove him off the bed if he weren’t currently his pillow. This really wasn't that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fucking shit i didnt mean to bring that joke back from the dead but i was editing and i realized... I put a snake... in front of hobi lmao  
> Short but sweet eh, i live for skinship sue me  
> to make up for the short update ya'll gon be treated in the next one, im just gonna say its bittersweet and long and i totally didnt mean to go there... Woops


	5. Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry in advance to all the jungkook stans, this wasn't supposed to be angst... oops

They’re following him again. Jungkook is so surprised he’s made it this far. He’d been outrunning them for 2 weeks so far, moving from one temple to the next. He doesn’t even know where he’s at, he started off in _Busan_ but he’s somewhere near _Seoul_ now.

Jongkook doesn’t know why but he’s like a magnet to them. There’s at least 5 _gwishin_ tailing him, two without legs and crawling at alarmingly fast speeds, and one in a white _Hanbok_ stumbling behind them. The other two keep talking and whispering nonstop in his periphery.

This far into the city there’s more ghosts than there are temples. That’s the only place they hesitate at, waiting around until something happens and suddenly they can close in and rush Jungkook. The temples give him solace but he always ends up running.

He’s been a temple boy for most of his whole life, living and maintaining the same temple and shrines as a monk in training.  Never leaving the monastery without reason and supervision. He should've had his coming of age ceremony and truly lived like a monk that morning.

But something happened. He woke up and he couldn’t breathe, faces swarmed him and he felt cold like never before. His heart hurt every beat, why couldn’t he move?!

Somehow he got away, leaving his home and life behind to a world that wasn't the same the last time he saw it all those years ago.

What was he supposed to do? He’ll hit the North Korean border unless he can get them to stop chasing him. Even when he shakes some off, they're quickly replaced by different ones.

He doesn't want to hear what they say. Their wishes and emotions weren't as important as Jungkook’s sanity. How was he supposed to get rid of them?

Jungkook didn’t need money at the temple just like he didn't need to leave its walls. It's hit him now more than ever how childish his thinking was.

The temple took him in as an orphan and had always taken care of him. To be so dependant on them was a mistake. He's grateful they loved him, but all those years of happiness and routine had been pulled out from underneath him like a rug.

He's left with this world he doesn’t understand and crippling fear constantly at his heels. Jungkook would cry but he already cried every tear he could when his parents died in that accident.

His running starts to slow when he hears the voices start to fade. That means a temple’s nearby! He can't wait to pray he’s made it another day.

The _gwishin_ completely stop following him when he reaches a shop. There’s no lettering on the glass but there’s someone in baggy clothes sitting behind a desk writing.

Just catch your breathe and ask for directions. Society couldn't have changed that much. People have been polite so far.

He opens the door and instantly feels better. The air is sugary sweet and clean. What kind of shop has the power of a temple?

The man at the desk raises his head at the sound of it but Jungkook's looking at the _ppalgan jong-i_ his old temple used to have on the walls. And facing the appropriate direction is a shrine.

Jungkook makes for it and kneels to pray. He closes his eyes and feels so relieved. He can't summon as many thankful sutra’s as he feels he needs.

He’s mid prayer when someone settles next to him. Fear shoots through him until he see’s it's the man. His hair is a light green and he has what the head monk would call a blessed face.

The man doesn't open his eyes and continues silently praying. Jungkook rejoins until his heart isn't racing anymore.

When he's done the man stands and moves to a couch farther away from the entrance. He pulls out what Jungkook thinks is a phone. He’s barely paid attention to such trivialities with the _gwishin_ swarming him.

“ _Annyeong._ _Hyung_ are you busy? _Araso,_ could you make _Gukhwa Cha_ tea please? _Aniyo,_ you bring it, Hoseok is too energetic this time of day. _Komawoyo._ ”

He speaks in a way Jungkook could vaguely understand, not like what he’s been hearing on the streets. When the call is done Jungkook hesitantly walks over and bows at the man. His eyes widen but his face returns to passive.

It's silent, and tense. Jungkook doesn’t know what to say, conversations didn't happen casually at the temple. The man hasn't told Jungkook anything either. The silence is going on forever. Jungkook is still standing and holding his hands like he’s back at the temple. The silence is broken when the man stands and passes him to walk towards the door.

The _gwishin_ are still nearby but they don’t dare cross into the store. A blonde man joins the green haired one and they exchange a bit of hushed conversation before the blonde one hands over the tea tray and waves hello.

Jungkook bows and plays with a loose string on his sleeve. The blonde smiles fondly and takes his leave.

Neither of them acknowledge the _gwishin_. Compared to the blonde one the green haired man makes Jungkook nervous with his silence. He's also pretty short. Although, the man hasn't done anything overly suspicious. In fact Jungkook is the suspicious one. The man takes the tray and motions for Jungkook to follow him.

He leads him through a white door to a garden out back that makes him feel a pang of sadness. It reminds him of the monastery, of home.

The man sits at the edge of the wood deck and starts pouring tea for two. Jungkook sits on the other side of the tray and looks at the well. He thinks of water, and the _Busan_ sea he sometimes visited and misses home again.

“Do you have a name or is silence golden?”

He carefully stirs and swirls the white chrysanthemum floating in the center. Other than that he doesn’t pressure Jungkook to speak.

The fragrance is lightly sweet with a hint of honey. This was the tea they had during important holidays. It was a special tea for the celebration of life.

Jungkook picks up the spoon and sees his reflection for the first time today. It’s distorted by the bend of the metal, but he can tell he’s sweaty and the dust of the abandoned temples marked his face worse than he thought. His robes were in worse shape.

After 10 years the dam he built broke. It crumbled so fast and there were so many reasons he couldn't even pinpoint where to start. This stranger being quiet and lending an ear, feeling home again after being forced to leave the only one he thought he had left, the thought of his parents seeing him in this mess.

It was all too much. He pulled his knees to his chest to try and stop breathing in air like he was dying. The more he tried to stop it the worse it got. He was probably being a burden to the man since the moment Jungkook entered the shop.

He shouldn't have lived! He should have died with his parents! He would've rather died than have been the only one to make it out alone. Being alive only made him a dependant, a child who couldn't even take care of himself. What was he supposed to do?!

He's trying so hard to stop but his tears keep falling one after the other. The man stands and Jungkook feels a million times worse than before. He drove the only person helping him away. His crying gets louder but he can't help it. Why?!

He doesn't even know who he's asking he just wants to know **why**. The steps move to his right and the man is hugging Jungkook. He pats his back and rubs his arm and Jungkook cries more. He leans into the man and clings with his life.

The touch doesn't remind him of his mother and that makes it all the worse. It's been so long since he's been held like this he can't remember if he really ever was. The man is shushing Jungkook and trying to establish some kind of rhythm.

Jungkook tries to breathe with it until he’s not leaking like an old faucet. At some point he stops trembling and uses whatever clean part he has left on his sleeves to clear his face.

He slightly pulls away from the man and sees the gross wet patches he left on the other man's clothes and almost starts crying again.

“ _Mianhaeyo.”_

Telltale tears try to start again but the man hastily wipes them away.

“No, no, no. It's fine, this is an old hoodie, just drink some tea. _Gwenchana_.”

His panicked tone makes Jungkook laugh and he’s lighter than he’s ever felt in his life. He feels all over the place but it's good. It's a good feeling that feels like it was supposed to happen.

Jungkook sips at the tea and even hands the man his. It's sweet and cleansing like he remembers.

It's a good thing he's mostly done with his tea when there's a slithering feeling on his wrist. He almost drops the cup before the man catches it and peels off the pink thing coiling around his arm.

“What did I say about personal space? We talked about this this morning.”

A pink snake lowers its head in shame before placing himself around the man. The man sees his face and apologizes.

“Sorry that's Ogushin, she has no boundaries, it's really annoying. She doesn't do anything though. Except-”

On cue she wraps around him and licks at his face in a distracting manner. His face scrunches at every lick as he halfheartedly struggles.

“Yeah that.”

It's actually kinda cute. He shows disdain for her but he doesn't actively try to fight being kissed by her.

“I've only seen pictures of snakes, I didn't know they could be this color.”

Ogushin finally stops and hides in the man's sleeves.

“They don't, she's not a snake, she’s an _imugi_ . Maybe a _kkangcheoli,_ not sure yet.”

Jungkook doesn’t know what either of those words mean. Before he can ask she slides out of his jacket, through the sand and into the well. The man looks at Jungkook and he knows what the stranger is going to ask.

“Any reason why you’ve got so many friends outside? You must have pissed someone off.”

That's not what he was supposed to ask. Jungkook snaps his head up. What? He could see them? But they didn't bother him, he didn't react to them either.

“You?”

He had so many questions that he just stopped. The man waves him off and drinks his tea.

“Yeah, always have, they only sometimes bother me. I only get involved with them if I'm hired to. I can’t interact with them anyway, just see em and get rid of em.”

“You can get rid of them! You can make them go away?!”

“How do you think it's been so calm? I make sure they can't get in. Even back here.”

As he says this Jungkook realized how long he cried for and how uninterrupted that time was. He should ask him to help, just to get to another temple at least. But he doesn't have money…

“What kind of shop is this?” Jungkook clasps his hands again and chews his lip in bad habit.

“It's a _manyeo_ shop, I'm the owner Suga.”

Oh. This wasn't what he thought witchery would look like at all. Jungkook is hesitant and he’s already taken so much from Suga, but he’s desperate.

“Can you take me to a shrine? One where they can't get to me. I was at one since I was little, until I woke up and They were everywhere. They all kept trying to talk and touch me and  wouldn't leave me alone. They got mad the more I ignored them.”

Suga looks at the well Ogushin went into and thinks.

“Tell you what, I’ll give you a talisman instead. I've been moving things for days and I'm too old for long walks.”

Jungkook can't tell if he's joking or not.

He follows Suga back inside into a small room with storage bins and pulls out different items: a paper, chain, some cylinder thing and ink set. He then shrugged and brought more miscellaneous things. Jungkook wasn’t sure what he was planning.

_Manyeo’s_ were a forbidden topic at the temple, especially when he was a child. He only knew about them from sneaking around after lights out and listening to the older monks gossip.

They were dangerous people. Some monks even called them _shamen_. Once the word was uttered both monks immediately started praying. Jungkook can only hope he can trust Suga.

Suga heads back to his desk and places the items in some invisible order. Jungkook sits across from him.

“Before I begin i’d like to ask some questions. If you don't answer truthfully this talisman can't help okay?”

Jungkook nods and attempts to relax.

“I'm gonna guess you haven’t always seen them right?” he hums when Jungkook nods.

“How long have you been running from them?”

He doesn’t want to start crying again so he tries to hold back, “Two. _”_

Suga clicks his tongue but continues, “Days? Weeks?”

He nods. It sounds much worse out in the open and he can't look him in the eye.

“Alright this is the most important one, have you ever been near death?”

Jungkook stiffens. He reminds himself he doesn't have to say anything about it, just nod. Don't panic again, suga’s helping.

Suga seemed satisfied and grinds the black ink that was a dark red in liquid form. He didn’t want look at it for too long. Jungkook focuses on suga’s hands and how they make the brush dance on the paper.

Jungkook can't read what it says but he can tell it's a _Sanskrit_ before being translated. Suga cleans up the ink and brush and let's the paper sit to dry.

This time Suga gets a call. It's probably the blonde one again since he starts off with _hyung._ Unless he has more than one. Jungkook doesn't know how old he is, but he must be older than him if he owns a shop right?

“Yeah everything's fine. Do you?… Have any spare clothes?… Please don't laugh at me... Sure, sure, tell him to fuck off with his long legs. _Komawo_.”

He wants to ask about phones and what else has changed but he won't be there long enough to find out. He's getting sad again.

A different person walks in this time with what's probably the clothes Suga asked for. Jungkook didn't ask why Suga needed clothes but he thought it was unrelated. Once again Jungkook is left out of the loop as they talk quietly. He can’t be upset at them, they are strangers.

When he’s drifting off and looking around the newcomer with black hair tries to sneak a look at him. Jungkook doesn’t need to pay attention to know what he was thinking. He pitied Jungkook. Caught in the act he quickly looks back to suga and waves happily before leaving.

Suga walks over and shoves the clothes into his arms on his way to his desk. Jungkook tries not to fumble them and tilts his head to look at him.

“I have to do preparations for the talisman that’s gonna take a while, so go shower. First door on the right. Don’t bother me until you squeak when you walk.”

Suga sits and continues on as though he never got up. Jungkook should be insulted but he’d rather be treated like an annoying little brother then have Suga look at him like the other men did. At least this way he can pretend his life didn’t bring him to this point. Strangely it feels like this is his chance to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why did Jungkook get the longest chapter? Because he's the least involved in the main plot and it just happened???  
> He's like this now but give him a few chapters >:) maknae line has no chill  
> idk if i stay on Yoongi too long he figures things out too quickly :/


	6. Oracle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyy, just a heads up im gonna be mia for a week b/c college and filming so sorry if this short tidbit left more questions than answers.  
> In other news i turned 18 today woop woop!! So enjoy my rushed but important birthday update :D

Suga shooed the boy to shower and once he had scampered up the stairs then proceeded to slam his face onto his desk. He didn’t even care he was this close to splattering red ink everywhere. He’s so totally fucked. Deeply boned by the ways of life.

Not like that poor kid but still pretty fucked. Ugh, what was he gonna do? That’s a dumbass question considering Jin already knew even though Yoongi didn’t want to admit it. 

There’s only two reasons someone grows up in a monastery. A is they chose to later in life. Or B, in this poor kids case, is it’s either that or a foster home. Why else would he have come to his shop still dressed like that after 2 weeks. Yoongi knew he couldn’t just leave the kid at a random temple, he’d have to house him.

He thinks back to Jin’s surprised voice and prying questions when he called for tea. Then Jin saw the kid and knew. He teased Yoongi and proved that Jin knew that Yoongi knew he knew. His head was starting to hurt.

Uggggh poor kid, he already looked close to tears when he burst through the door but Yoongi attempting Jin’s whole healing personality caused him to break down. Yoongi acts like himself and people get pissed, he acts like he cares and they get sad and spill their woes. He needs a middle line or he’s gonna go crazy.

Oh god then Jin called him like he had some weirdly accurate maternal instinct. 

“Is everything okay over there?” He did sound concerned at first Yoongi will gave him that. He needed to watch what he said even more than he had been. Living in a monastery in all likelihood made the kid antisocial and old-fashioned. He already looked like he was ready to have a heart attack, Yoongi didn’t want to be responsible if he caused anything.

“Do you?” Yoongi didn’t want to say it in front of him but Jin knew where he was going and laughed.

“Do I what? Want to take him in? We both know the answer to this one Suga.”

Yoongi was internally screaming already and all Jin did was increase the volume. Jin left him in a whoever smelled it dealt it deal. God help him. Yoongi swallowed what little pride he had left and asked an even worse question.

“Have any spare clothes?” The kid opened his mouth a bit and scrunched his eyebrows like he wanted to ask a question but Yoongi was too busy listening to Jin lose his shit. Yoongi could tell his clothes wouldn’t fit the kid. He can’t believe he was doing this.

“Please don’t laugh at me.” Why was he always put in these situations? Yoongi can hear Jin talk to someone off the side and Hoseok start laughing in the distance too. Jin tells him  the generous J-hope would donate to the cause and bring it over. 

They were both barely centimeters taller than him. Tall assholes. 

“Sure, sure, tell him to fuck off with his long legs.  _ Komawo _ .”

Which is how Yoongi ends up wishing his desk could swallow him whole. Thinking about it he’s kinda hungry. Fuck, he never put the kitchen together.  _ Gwishin  _ tend to shift your priorities. He can only blame himself for this one.

He snaps his head up and listens to the shop. It’s quiet. Shit he’s so stupid, of course the kid doesn’t know how to use the bathroom. Monks bathe the old fashion way with buckets and all that traditional crap. Yoongi sighs and heads up the stairs.

Like he thought there wasn’t any water running. He knocks on the door and waits for a response.

“Ye-yes!” 

“If you don’t know how to use it just say so.”

It’s a couple of seconds before the door opens and he’s facing the kid hanging his head in shame. Yoongi goes past him and turns the water heater on.

“Twist the lever in a few minutes, left is cold. Don’t use the conditioner, it’s expensive. Can you cook?”

The dark haired teen stops fiddling with his sleeves and shakes his head no. Yoongi shows him where the towels are then gives him his privacy. He hopes it's fine to leave him alone, but he made it 2 weeks against angry spirits. Somehow Yoongi doubts a loofa is his worst nightmare.

Once he’s downstairs he can’t help but wonder how he ate if he didn’t know how to cook and was on the run. This kid made him depressed and stressed, all he needed was anxious to complete the holy trinity.

It seemed like it's a long time before he would open up to Yoongi. Hell Yoongi didn’t even know the kids name yet. How do you establish good will or whatever? What was he gonna do?

Yoongi really didn’t want to go into the kitchen and clean. Yes, he was that lazy. At least he unpacked his room okay. Anyways, he already asked for too much from Jin and Hoseok on the 3rd day. Kim-Kimchi’s it was.

The  _ Daegu  _ restaurant was on the right side of Taboo Tattoo. The green and white shop was still somewhat busy even after the lunch rush. He could pick up something for Hoseok and Jin while getting himself and the kid something. Maximum efficiency with minimal effort. The motionless Min saga continued.

The  _ gwishin _ that were following the boy had dispersed. Now if only he could ward off people. Bad Yoongi, you need clients and their problems. Ghost problems only though.

The interior was traditional and vintage but with a well loved feel to it. He waits at the end of the line with a few people in front of him. 

The smell of spicy tripe and fried  _ kimchi  _ spark a pang of nostalgia. It smells like his mother's cooking, at least when she used to cook. He could never get his dishes to taste like hers.

To be honest Yoongi didn't think about what he’d get for everyone. He assumed the kid would eat anything but Hoseok and Jin might have had preferences. He should’ve texted them beforehand.

The line moves forward and suddenly it's Yoongi’s turn to order and he's faced with a certain little shit dressed in the Kim-kimchi’s uniform. Said little shit was waving at the previous customer all goofy and loose smiles turning fearful at the sight of Yoongi. 

V quickly tries to hide behind the counter but Yoongi grabs him by the collar. V scrunches his shoulders and curls in on himself like he could hide in some invisible shell.

“Ya! Get back here!”

This just makes him squeak and regress further behind the counter.

“He can't see me like this!!”

**He?** There’s a lot Yoongi realizes a lot in a 3 second span. The first was that V wasn't freaking out about him. He would have said  **you** . Yoongi’s the last person to care he's a cashier either.

The second was he was the last person in line, so unless someone walked in, the person was connected to Yoongi in some way. It’s sad to say but Yoongi is really only friends with his neighbors. 

The third was that it wasn’t said neighbors V was skittish about. They were regulars who recommended the restaurant to him and probably met V before. 

“Who? The only other person with me is-”

Wait, wait, wait. Hold on one fucking second. Don't tell him. Yoongi gets a shop from V’s check. Then this cute, tragic, lost, little boy around V’s age shows up a few days later in desperate need of a home. The only person who would believe V was a  _ Chaebal  _ was currently taking a shower. 

V wasn't on the lookout for Yoongi. He was looking out for that kid! 

“Take my order and answer my questions or I bring him over right now.”

You gotta hit where it hurts, he doesn't have time to be nice. He could also be very wrong but whatever. Yoongi drops V violently on the floor and waits. Carefully checking over the counter V started to stand. 

His green name tag said Taehyung in bold black. So, Yoongi was right to think he was using an alias. Taehyung was also hyper vigilant and fidgety. Yoongi slaps his hands down on the counter forcing him to focus. At this point he didn't care about the scene they were making. 

“Spicy tripes,  _ bulgogi _ and a side of fried  _ kimchi _ . Who's the kid?”

Taehyung writes down his order and licks his lips nervously.

“Your drink?”

Yoongi can feel his veins pulse faster in anger by the second.

“Cola, add what Hoseok and Jin like. How did you get your hands on 10k?”

Taehyung was mumbling under his breath about “The asshole route” and breaking out into a sweat. He looks around for someone to save him. The customers were comfortably eating, seemingly used to his unusual behavior and staff were busy. He also didn't ask who Jin and Hoseok were. He knew more than he let on.  _ I already know how long it takes you. _

“Anything else?”

His voice cracked like he’s going through puberty. Why does Yoongi have to go in circles? It's not that fucking hard to answer questions.

“Alright, you know things before they happen so clearly you see the future. Get whatever the kid likes, in exchange tell me where I can find Mark's grave, a last name or something. He is haunting  **you** .”

The ghost wasn’t present at the moment which just made Yoongi run into more walls. Mark was only slightly attached to Taehyung. Finding his grave could at least let him track down any family and follow his life until his death. Someone other than Taehyung knew something and would be more useful.  _ Mul-gwishin  _ were handled differently than the average ghost.

“I can't, he doesn't have one.”

That's it.

“For fucks sake! Can you tell me anything?! Because if not I'm going to let the kid live on the streets.”

Taehyung gasped and shouted, “You can't! You wouldn't!”

“Why not? I have no obligation to take care of him. You gave me that check for Mark’s exorcism.”

“Because he's my future husband!”

Yoongi’s mouth hung open and Taehyung let out a sigh. He pouted at Yoongi like he canceled nap time. What the fuck.

“Alright. I gave you the check so he’d have a place to live, but there's a bigger picture here.”

He lowers his voice and leans across the counter, “I can't tell you anything but it wasn't just for my benefit. You need to investigate Mark and your past for answers. If I break the rules and tell we all lose. Game over.”

Taehyung ran his thumb across his throat and leaned back behind the counter. He was all smiles again and told Yoongi the total. Yoongi wanted to tell him off, really he did. But how could he after that bombshell? Just what the fuck was going on around here?

Yoongi handed over the cash and found somewhere to sit and wait. What kind of ghost didn't have a grave? A murdered one. That’s great. Maybe Jin knew Mark, he was headed there anyway. Besides he doesn’t have anyone else to talk to about it. Except his grandma but she never replied. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tae's scared shitless, how do i work with that lmao??? He had nowhere to run why did i do this to him  
> And so the plot thickens at least i hope it seems that way


	7. Hexer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today is shit bc of the election results. rip guys it was nice knowing ya. have an update to help trying to get through 4 years, IF we can

It wasn't long before before Taehyung cheerfully hollered out that his food was done. Yoongi looked at the 4 takeout containers, drinks and sides galore, and immediately regretted ordering so much. It's definitely a two tripper.

As Taehyung bagged the food he looked Yoongi in the eyes and sobered the happy mood he created earlier.

“ _Hyung_ , please take care of him for now. You're really the only one that can.”

Yoongi wasn't really sure how serious he was about the whole future husband thing, but it took a lot of faith to entrust the love of your life to someone else. He couldn't really argue about that.

In the end Yoongi only took Jin and Hoseok’s meals. He nodded at Taehyung that he’d be back and walked over to the Rose of Jin. He couldn't make promises but he most likely would take care of the runt until he could take care of himself.

Since Yoongi's hands were full he shoved himself at Jin's front door sideways. It opened and he didn't ram into any other customers. It was the only thing to have gone his way all day.

Jin was behind his counter reading some magazine, not really paying attention to anything. He looked up at the sound of plastic bags rustling and the door opening to see Yoongi struggling.

At the same time Hoseok was moving potted plants aside and rearranging the display to better show in season flowers. He quickly put down what was in his hands and skipped over to help Yoongi.

“Suga! You already bought us Kim-kimchi’s, I'm impressed~ is this mostly for me or lovesick Jin over there?"

Yoongi sighed in relief as Hoseok took the bags from his hands and placed them next to Jin on the counter. Jin smacked Hoseok's arm as he settled down across from him. Hoseok simply snickered and spun himself on the barstool completely content with himself.

They took out the sides and started offering some to Yoongi. He shook his head no and used a mulch crate as a seat. He wasn’t really picky about where he could sit as long as it wasn't standing.

“Your loss” Hoseok shrugged. The sounds of slurping and crunching filled the silence. Jin looked sternly at Yoongi until he opened his mouth for Jin to shove hot _tteokbokki_ in. He remembered if he didn't hurry his own food would get cold. After chewing Yoongi cleared his throat, catching Jin and Hoseok's attention.

“You guys know Taehyung right?”

Jin smiled affectionately, “Unfortunately.”

Hoseok nods vigorously and wolfs down his _kogi._ Yoongi pauses and pats him on the back. Chill.

“Of course! He's the reason you bought us food, huh? Huh? Well good luck, he won't date anyone but he does do that tongue thing and-”

Yoongi put his hand up and stopped Hoseok before he heard more than he wanted to.

“Where’s Mark?”

Both of his neighbors froze and exchanged a look, carrying a silent conversation with one another. The tension was immediate and thick, easy enough to cut even with the dullest butter knife.

Finally Jin turned to Yoongi and put down his _kimchi_.

“Why do you want to find him Suga?”

Ah, he's not really allowed to say anything about it. They didn't really **need** to know though did they? Then again if he didn't give them anything they could trust then he wouldn't get anywhere. He already went through hoops with Taehyung and look where that got him.

“I was contracted to find him.”

It was partially true at least. Hoseok and Jin paled. Jin’s voice came out unstable, “We don't know, we don't really talk to him or his friends, but Joonie does.”

Jin pointed at the Taboo Tattoo across the street. It's windows were tinted black, probably opening later at night. They acted like they could see him or something.

“Who?”

Hoseok rolled his eyes at Jin's stiff form and tried to loosen the tension.

“Namjoon is Jin’s unrequited love. He owns the store across the street, see? He’s sketching right now.”

No. No he couldn’t. Yoongi looked at the store then back at Hoseok trying to see if he was fucking with him. Hoseok looked back completely open. He wasn’t fucking with him.

“You mean you can see him right now.”

Hoseok tilted his head and Jin furrowed his brows. Yoongi looked back at the shop that was still pitch black. His heart lurched as he realized the implication of this.

Yoongi hopped off the crate and scrambled out of the shop. He was an old man that couldn't move that fast, but he pushed himself to burst through Taboo Tattoo.

He instantly broke into a coughing fit and felt the nauseous need to throw up reverberate through his body. A black fog obscured his view and filled his lungs, thick and poisonous.

It was a manifestation of negative emotions and curses left uncleansed. Yoongi couldn't see Namjoom but he yelled in his general direction, “Stay here!”

Then he ran to his own shop. He was too old for all this running. Jungkook was still showering but Yoongi wasn't paying attention to that.

He was in the storage room grabbing candles and any spirit traps in his reach. The traps looked like several chopsticks shaped into hexagonal cubes and held together with vibrant colored string.

He almost ran out without grabbing a pocket full of premade _ppalgan jong-i._ Who knows how many times they saved his ass.

Namjoon, Seokjin, and Hoseok probably thought he looked crazy. Maybe he was but whatever Namjoon was doing in his tattoo shop obviously outweighed his sanity.

Yoongi opened the door and threw in the traps like grenades. The smoke slowly started to vacuum into them and slowly Yoongi could see again.

Namjoon was staring at him wide eyed, mouth half open, ready to say something but frozen. He was somewhat stocky with cropped pink hair and had multiple ear and lip piercings. His sleeves were rolled up covering most of his various tattoos. Yoongi would have been disappointed if he didn't have any.

“Lighter.”

Broken out of his shock Namjoon nodded his head and went off to find one, while Yoongi caught his breath.

When Namjoon returned they lit the candles and placed them around. Then Yoongi placed the _ppalgan jong-i_ just to be sure.

“Are you stupid or are you trying to die?”

Namjoon looked offended at Yoongi before crossing his arms.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Yoongi threw himself in a tattoo chair and sighed in relief.

“Suga, your resident exorcist. You're welcome by the way.”

Namjoon squinted his eyes and begrudgingly offered Yoongi his hand. Same man, same. Yoongi shook it and Namjoon partially smiled. His dimples eased Yoongi’s racing heart.

“ _Komawo,_ I do feel better. I've been wondering why it felt so heavy.  What brings you to my shop? Do you know how many middle school girls would maul me if I inked **your** skin?”

Yoongi laughed and shook his head. His grandma would skin him if he did, she told him as a kid all the time.

“Another time, I need information.”

Namjoon switched from sketching to what looked like cleaning a tattoo machine.

“I don't know much but I do owe you for whatever you did.”

“What do you do here to attract that much negative energy?”

It was almost like that kid with ghosts. Definitely not just a tattoo shop.

Namjoon wiped down needles and dipped them in liquids Yoongi didn't know the name of. Everything smelled antiseptic and leathery. His abundant art was in black frames to contrast the red walls. The furniture and counter tops were a gothic black as well.

“I have a list that I go through, the higher the price the higher on the list it is. People on that list end up with tattoos and live a cursed life. They don't know about the tattoo part, even if they did the damage is done.”

Yoongi narrowed his eyes at Namjoons back. A Hexer who didn't have a shrine set up, the obvious signs of neglect towards the aftercare of the job. There can't be Yin without Yang, it's the first thing you learn about magick. 

“Do you ever bother to cleanse yourself afterword?”

He stilled and turned toward Yoongi.

“Yes I shower.”

Yoongi looked at the ceiling and felt himself lose 10 years of his life. Fucking amateur, unbelieveable. How was he alive in all that mess of twisted emotions? He probably couldn't see ghosts but still!

“Next time, please stop by my shop so this doesn't happen again. Suga’s Exorcism, I'm next to Jin.”

Namjoon perked up at the mention of Jin and arranged his needles more delicately.

“You met Jin already?”

“And Hoseok, good kid. Speaking of kids there's a runaway monk staying with me so if you see him approach carefully.”

Namjoon nodded like he understood but even Yoongi didn't really understand. Now for the topic everyone's avoids.

“Do you know Mark?”

Namjoon whistled, but kept fiddling with his machine.

“I know he's a good _hyung_ , him and his best friend moved here from different countries to open a martial arts studio. He’s American, tall, quiet, and chill. And missing, at least as far as I know, he's a sensitive topic I wouldn't bring up in front of his crew.”

Yoongi drinks all this in and closed his eyes. Mark's crew and best friend were the best lead he’s had so far. If Yoongi could find one of them, he could find the rest.

“His crew?”

Yoongi tried to be innocent about it but it wasn't a good look for him. Namjoon didn't really care and answered him anyway.

“Yeah, I talk to his best friend Jackson a lot. Not lately since Mark’s been missing but before we were cool. JJ Project is the salon across Park Dance Studio. The hairstylist and makeup artist are close to them. Like really close, like ‘hey I’d suck your-’”

Yoongi waves him off. Why does everyone tell him about others sex lives?

“ _Aish_ , why are you guys like this? Thanks though, this is leagues more information then Jin and Taehyung.”

Again Namjoon paid attention and deliberately slowed down when Yoongi mentioned Jin. This whole neighborhood was fucking gay. Literally.

“Hey… would you rather live your life in fear of the future or uphold the past?”

He was talking to Yoongi but Namjoon wasn't really there, he spoke distantly. He wasn't really with him or asking a philosophical question, it was related to something Yoongi didn't know about. This was one of those times when an outside answer was better than an inside one. Yoongi got up to leave and grabbing the spirit traps carefully. He stopped at the door.

“I deal with ghosts for a living, at some point the fear becomes nothing. It's your past that holds you down the most.”

At that Yoongi really did leave Namjoon. Then he remembered his food and silently mourned it's freshness. When he walked into Kim-Kimchi’s, Taehyung winked at him and handed over his and the kid's food, still steaming.

Yoongi hated to but he actually thanked Taehyung and headed home. He made sure to ignore the giant heart Tae sent his way though. Attention would just encourage him like with Hoseok. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no seriously im like the pysical embodiment of what trump hates (a gay, female, liberal, mexican) im going to die, i love you guys stay safe  
> the one time i actually want to finish a story and im probably going to die by the government ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> My legacy: homo hill lmao


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah sorry to slow the pace, I had more plans but my pc died after 5 years of service rip anyways I couldn't leave you guys hanging on this holiday of food so tada!!

This time when Yoongi walked through the door the shower was off. Without a proper dining table he set the food down on his desk. He almost opened his container to dig in when he heard his grandmother's voice in his head.

_ Meals are a time for bonding and it disrupts the house order to eat alone in the presence of others. _

It's a weirdly specific memory to have conjured but Yoongi trusts his grandma even in the afterlife. He’s just used to eating alone. Fine, he’d wait for him.

He worked on the talisman until he was 3/4ths done with the detail work. He felt like he was 5 again and writing sutra after sutra until his grandma smiled at him, satisfied. Yoongi's writing might be perfect but his drawings were shit.

Yoongi had a lot of respect for Namjoon to easily draw permanently on others, he couldn't even draw trees correctly. His grandmother was the only reason his writing came out so legible. 

Everything in his life came back to her. She was both the good and the bad. She encouraged something his parents hid in shame while turning it into something he had to do. He hated being a witch for many years of his life. Maybe Namjoon felt the same about being a tattoo artist. Why else would he have asked that question earlier?

It had been a while and still nothing from upstairs. Sighing Yoongi got his lazy ass up to go check on him. There was steam coming from under the bathroom door. Yoongi was actually kinda worried.

He knocked on the door and waited. There was shuffling until the kid opened the door looking much better than before. He had a towel around his waist and water dripped from the ends of his overgrown black hair.

Yoongi actually felt personally attacked when he saw the kid was fucking ripped. What the fuck did monks do all day? Yoongi didn’t know any monks so muscular! Priorities!

“Are you okay?”

His already big eyes were wide and concerned. He shook his head no and Yoongi’s blood turned cold for a second. The kid hugged himself and turned around.

Holy shit that was bad. On his back, directly behind his heart was a cracked and faded tattoo of a rabbit. Underneath the skin was severely scarred. An accident? Yoongi would have been more confused if it didn't have the Sanskrit circle, but it did. Instead Yoongi gasped and understood why the kid could see ghosts. 

The Sanskrit circle, as long as it remained intact, could ward off ghosts. It was a method meant for shrines not bodies. The kid hit a growth spurt and his skin stretched the already fading tattoo and scarred skin more. 

This discovery raised a lot of questions, one's only the kid and those monks had an answer to.

“Finish changing and we’ll talk downstairs.”

Yoongi wasn’t one to pace but he did roll himself back and forth in his desk chair. The kid did remind him of a bunny like the tattoo. Skittish, lured by security and food, wide eyed with rabbit teeth. It was entirely possible he was like that even before he showed up at Yoongi’s though.

Honestly Yoongi should read his grandma's journal like a bible for answers for the kid and Hoseok as well. His grandma thought she would be the last witch to know and use the old traditions. Her only daughter didn't have any power and even rebelled against her until Yoongi had been born. 

She wrote everything down in an attempt to preserve what generations of witches verbally passed down the family line. Min was a powerful name in the old world. If Yoongi used his name alone he could have coasted through the traditional witch life in ease. 

Riding on coattails made Yoongi feel sick. It was something popular Seoul witches did to live. Most of them were frauds, liars, thieves. Before his grandmother died she was losing customers to younger witches with less unusual methods. They were more modern. 

Yoongi had to watch his grandma lose to “ _ manyeo _ ” whose talismans couldn't even protect the dead. How nice it must have been to say anything and be unquestioningly listened to based on appearance alone. 

_ “It’s like the blind leading the blind. Do not let what happened to me happen to you, you're my little Min-genius.” _

Upholding the past huh. It finally felt like Yoongi was embracing his witch life and doing what he wanted. Maybe he was just accepting his fate and his grandmother's lifelong influence as his only choice. 

Whatever. Existential crises could wait for actual crises. Like the kid’s tattoo or Hoseok's sight. Yoongi opened one of the desk drawers and pulled the red book out. A journal older and wiser than him by lightyears. 

His best bet for the kid was in her personal accounts and notes. The lore and stories were of no use at the moment. 

Before Yoongi went to systematically read through his grandma's life he paused. Instead of looking for it he could call to it and make it come to him. 

It was like finding lost personal items except a thousand times easier. The journal was something tied to his very being, it would work. He wasn't just trying to avoid speed reading. Legit.

He held the book on its spine and closed his eyes. Yoongi evened his breathing until he felt that pulsing life flow through him. He pictured the kid’s scared face and the tattoo then back to the kid. He switched the images until they started to flicker and change faster than Yoongi could make them. His blood was supercharging lightning speeds when he instinctively knew  **now** !

He let's the book fall open and it revealed one of his grandmother's journal entries near the 200 pages.

_ Kumiho haunting: _

_ The neighbors were experiencing time skips and unusual jokes from other members of the family. They claim to have no knowledge of doing so and their sleepless nights were accompanied by the youngest son’s hound constantly barking. It was surely a kumiho.  _

_ Not long after the youngest lost his sight. Before the exorcism could be completed all traces of the spirit disappeared.  _

_ Mother says it ate his sight for power. How cruel, to leave a being helpless for personal gain. Since it ate it whole there was no chance to return it. Mother cursed the moon and back at one of the neighbors death causing her such an inconvenience.  _

_ It was the one that always smiled and walked with an invisible grace. She wouldn't say why he was useful for the boys sight, in the end we moved on to the next.  _

There it was! Even in death his grandmother was still teaching him. It wasn't exactly what he needed, “lost his sight” sounded like it was for Hoseok more than the kid. 

Yoongi needed to know his name! Obviously it wasn’t going to work if Yoongi didn’t know his name. Yoongi used an alias because there was power in a name. At least he knew how to navigate the book easier. 

Finally the kid’s footsteps descended the stairs. He hovered near the last few steps as Yoongi stared at him and they silently locked eyes. It was a brief staredown brought on by a weird combination of Yoongi’s blunt personality, the kid having abs, and the reality that they were pretty evenly matched lone alphas weary of the other. 

Yoongi was being generous to himself by saying pretty even considering his height and twig limbs. His only advantage was age. Yoongi didn’t have time for this, he gave up and looked at the empty seat in front of his desk then back at the kid. 

The kid looked uncertain but moved to sit. Yoongi pulled the take out containers from the bags and smelled the Daegu spices he missed. The boy moved to grab his food before Yoongi smacked his hand away.

His eyes widened briefly then flashed in anger and disbelief. Yoongi pulled the containers toward himself.

“Name or I eat it.”

The kid continued to sit there debating what he could and couldn’t tell Yoongi. He started chewing his nails so Yoongi opened his fried  _ kimchi  _ and inhaled the mouth watering scent. The monk didn’t flinch so Yoongi opened  **his** container and blew the meaty smell in his direction.

“Is that pork soup rice?!”

Yoongi proceeded to eat a piece of pork and shrugged. He didn't bother to ask Taehyung what the kid liked or got. 

“Jeon Jungkook!”

That didn’t take long. Yoongi pushed the food and chopsticks toward the ki- Jungkook and returned to his own food. Jungkook crammed as much as he could at a heartbreakingly fast pace.

“Slow down before you throw it all back up. I didn’t pay for it to come out that way.”

Jungkook had the good grace to blush before slowing down. Yoongi was right to slow him down but it felt like yelling at a puppy. Even Yoongi had his limits of assholery. 

In the end Yoongi forfeited one of his containers to Jungkook and finished the Sanskrit. He needed the food more than him anyway. At least he had manners when he wasn’t in a rush. 

Yoongi rolled the talisman up and put it inside the metal cylinder he pulled out earlier along with chrysanthemum petals. He sealed it and thread the chain through a little hoop to make it a necklace. It was the best Yoongi could do for now. 

“Wear this whenever you leave the house, it's temporary so it'll only buy you a few weeks until I figure out how to redo your tattoo.”

Jungkook finished slurping the last of his soup and put his hands in his lap. 

“The temple! I could just go back and they can do what they did again.” Yoongi shook his head and hung the necklace on Jungkook.

“You barely survived on your own, you're coming into a world that's drastically changed in your lifetime. Unless you find an escort, or your GED I can't let you go on your own.”

Jungkook scrunched his nose at the word GED proving Yoongi’s point. Taehyung somehow pulled 10k out of his ass, it's in Yoongi's best interest not to let anything happen to his pre-husband. Who knows what that boy did to get the money.

“Come on, you need a crash course on what's been happening outside of your temple.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly all future updates will be on my phone, pls have mercy I don't have grammar check oh lord I'm a mess lmao next week's sneak peak for me being a dunce includes shopping and shameless flirting ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading !!! Wow i never thought any of you would make it this far :D Thanks for reading and please leave feedback cause i have no idea what i'm doing lmao


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